Tape dispensers

ABSTRACT

A dispenser including a receptacle and a cover together defining a tape roll storage volume in which the tape roll rotates about an axis of rotation, and an accommodation apparatus located within the tape roll storage volume and configured to bias the tape roll in an axial direction towards one of the receptacle and the cover.

BACKGROUND 1. Field

The present inventions relate generally to dispensers for that may, forexample, be used to dispense tape stored in roll form.

2. Related Art

Tape, such as painter's tape, masking tape, adhesive tape, and packagingtape, is frequently stored in roll form and cut to length as it isconsumed. The tape is typically rolled around a core, such as acardboard core, to form a “roll.” The rolls of tape are available in avariety of widths and, in many instances, a user's project will requirea number of different widths. Painters, for example, frequently requirepainter's tape of different widths. In many instances, tape from theroll is dispensed from a dispenser that includes a cutting surface. Thepresent inventor has determined that conventional tape dispensers aresusceptible to improvement.

SUMMARY

A tape dispenser in accordance with at least one of the presentinventions includes a receptacle and a cover together defining a taperoll storage volume in which a tape roll may rotate about an axis ofrotation, and an accommodation apparatus located within the tape rollstorage volume and configured to bias the tape roll in an axialdirection towards one of the receptacle and the cover.

A tape dispenser in accordance with at least one of the presentinventions includes a front wall, a rear wall and an intermediate wallbetween the front and rear walls, the front, rear and intermediate wallstogether enclosing a tape roll storage volume, a tape outlet between thefront and rear walls, a roller mount adjacent to the tape outlet, and atleast one relatively soft roller mounted on the roller mount.

A tape dispenser in accordance with at least one of the presentinventions includes a front wall, a rear wall and an intermediate walllocated between the front wall and the rear wall and defining a width,the front, rear and intermediate walls together enclosing a tape rollstorage volume, a tape outlet between the front and rear walls, acutting element adjacent to the tape outlet, and a tape holder locatedbetween the tape outlet and the cutting element.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Detailed description of preferred embodiments of the inventions will bemade with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a dispenser in accordance with oneembodiment of a present invention in a closed state.

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the dispenser illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the dispenser illustrated in FIG. 1 inan open state.

FIG. 4 is a front view of the dispenser illustrated in FIG. 1 with thecover removed.

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of a portion of the dispenser illustratedin FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a rear view of the cover of the dispenser illustrated in FIG.1.

FIG. 5A is a perspective view of a portion of the cover illustrated inFIG. 5.

FIG. 6 is a perspective, cutaway view of the dispenser illustrated inFIG. 1.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a portion of the dispenser illustratedin FIG. 1.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a portion of the dispenser illustratedin FIG. 1.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the dispenser illustrated in FIG. 1 witha roll of tape within the dispenser.

FIG. 10 is a front view of the dispenser illustrated in FIG. 1 with aroll of tape within the dispenser and the cover removed.

FIG. 11 is a perspective view of a portion of the dispenser illustratedin FIG. 1.

FIG. 12 is an end view of a portion of the dispenser illustrated in FIG.1 dispensing tape.

FIG. 13 is an end view of a portion of the dispenser illustrated in FIG.1 dispensing tape.

FIG. 13A is a side view of a portion of the dispenser illustrated inFIG. 1.

FIG. 13B is an end view of a portion of the dispenser illustrated inFIG. 1 dispensing tape.

FIG. 13C is an end view of a portion of the dispenser illustrated inFIG. 1 dispensing tape.

FIG. 14 is a side view of the dispenser illustrated in FIG. 1 dispensingtape.

FIG. 15 is a side view of the dispenser illustrated in FIG. 1 dispensingtape.

FIG. 16 is a perspective view of a portion of the dispenser illustratedin FIG. 1.

FIG. 17 is a front view of a portion of the dispenser illustrated inFIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EXEMPLARY EMBODIMENTS

The following is a detailed description of the best presently knownmodes of carrying out the inventions. This description is not to betaken in a limiting sense, but is made merely for the purpose ofillustrating the general principles of the inventions.

A dispenser in accordance with one embodiment of the present inventionsis generally represented by reference numeral 100. Referring first toFIGS. 1-3, the exemplary dispenser 100 includes a receptacle 102 and acover 104 that together define a storage volume 110 in which a roll oftape is stored in the manner described below with reference to FIGS. 9and 10. The receptacle 102 has a rear wall 106 and intermediate wall108. Axle pins 112 are located on the inner surface of the rear wall106, and a belt clip 114 may be located on the outer surface of the rearwall. The axle pins 112 together define an axis A (FIG. 10) about whichthe stored roll of tape rotates. The stored roll of tape is mounted on,and rotates around, the axle pins 112. There are three axle pins 112 inthe exemplary embodiment. The cover 104, which includes a front wall116, may be connected to the receptacle 102 by a hinge 118 (or othersuitable instrumentality). The width of the tape storage volume 110 isessentially equal to the width of the intermediate wall 108. The hinge118 includes portions 118 a and 118 b (FIGS. 4 and 5) on the receptacle102 and cover 104. Tape level view windows 120 a and 120 b extendthrough the rear and front walls 106 and 116 and allow the user tovisually determine how much tape remains on a stored roll withoutopening the cover 104.

The exemplary dispenser 100 also includes an opening 122 (FIG. 2) thatextends through the receptacle 102 and the cover 104. A portion of theuser's hand may be placed in the opening 122 during dispensing. Theopening 122 is bordered by an elongate wall 122 a with a curved surface124 a on the rear wall 106, and by an elongate wall 122 b with a curvedsurface 124 b on the front wall 116.

The exemplary cover 104 may be maintained in the closed position withany suitable instrumentality. In the illustrated example, and referringto FIGS. 4-5A, the dispenser 100 includes a lock apparatus with portionson both the receptacle 102 and the cover 104. In particular, a pluralityof latches 126 are mounted on the inner surface of the front wall 116and a corresponding plurality of apertures 128 are formed in the axlepins 112. Each of the latches 126 includes a pair of deflectable (or“pivotable”) latch members 130 that have a post 132 and a rounded head134 (FIG. 5A). There is also a gap 136 between the latch members 130,which allows the latch members to deflect toward one another. Inaddition to the apertures 128, the axle pins 112 include beveledsurfaces 138 (FIG. 4A) that guide the heads 134 into the apertures 128as the cover 104 reaches the closed position. The shape of the heads 134and the presence of the gaps 136 allow the heads to snap through theapertures 128 to hold the cover 104 in place, and to snap out of theapertures when the cover 104 is to be opened.

The rear 106, intermediate wall 108 (which is coextensive with asubstantial majority of the perimeter of the rear wall 106), and thefront wall 116 together define a tape outlet 140. A cutting element 142is located adjacent to the tape outlet 140. The exemplary cuttingelement 142 is a metal structure (e.g., a serrated metal blade) that ismolded into or otherwise secured to a blade mount 143 at one end of theintermediate wall 108. In other instances, the cutting element may be anintegral part of the blade mount. The length of the blade mount 143 mayalso be increased, as compared to the illustrated embodiment, in orderto decrease the amount of dispenser rotation (described below withreference to FIG. 15) that is required to bring the cutting element 142into contact with the dispensed portion of the tape. The intermediatewall 108 also includes manual resistance apertures 144 and 146 that aresized and shaped such that a human finger can pass through theintermediate wall to press on a roll of tape within the storage volume110. The manual resistance apertures 144 and 146 allow the user toregulate the rotation of the tape roll and/or to prevent tape from beingpulled out of the dispenser 100 when the tape is be severed by thecutting element 142, as is described below with reference to FIG. 15.

The exemplary dispenser 100 includes a plurality of features that,individually and collectively, facilitate superior dispensing. Each ofthese features is discussed in greater detail below. Briefly, andreferring to FIGS. 1-3, the exemplary dispenser 100 may be configured toaccommodate tape rolls of different widths. To that end, the receptacle102 includes an accommodation apparatus 148 (FIG. 3) with a movableplate 150 that presses the stored tape roll against the cover 104 tomaintain consistent alignment of the tape and to prevent tape wobblingduring dispensing. Alternatively, or in addition, the exemplarydispenser 100 may include a tape holder 152 (FIGS. 1-2) to which thetape may be adhered when the tape is being cut by the cutting element142 and when tape is not being dispensed. Alternatively, or in addition,the exemplary dispenser 100 may include a roller system 154, with aplurality of relatively soft rollers 156 and an axle 157, which iscarried on a tapered roller mount 158. The rollers 156 are supported onthe axle 157, and the axle is rotatably mounted on the roller mount 158.

Referring to FIG. 3, protrusions 160 (sometimes referred to as“standoffs”) may be provided on the inner surface of the cover 104 insome embodiments. The protrusions 160 engage the core 304 of a tape roll300 (FIG. 10) within the storage volume 110 to prevent the side surfacesof the tape 302 from engaging the inner surface of the rear wall 116.

Turning to FIGS. 6-8, the exemplary accommodation apparatus 148 isconfigured to bias the movable plate 150 (and the tape roll 300) towardsthe cover 104. The movable plate 150 is parallel to the rear and frontwalls 106 and 116, and moves in a direction perpendicular to the frontand rear walls (i.e., in the axial direction). In the illustratedimplementation, the accommodation apparatus 148 employs a plurality ofsprings 162 or other biasing elements that are operably connected to themovable plate 150. To that end, the exemplary movable plate 150 includesa pair of single-spring brackets 164, with perpendicular (to the plate)walls 166 and parallel walls 168, and a dual-spring bracket 170, with aperpendicular wall 172 and a parallel wall 174. The movable plate 150 isslidably mounted on shoulder bolts 176 (i.e., bolts with relativelyshort threaded portions and smooth shoulders) that extend throughapertures 178 and 180 (FIG. 11) in the parallel walls 168 and 174. Thethreaded ends of the shoulder bolts 176 are secured to anchors 182,while the bolt heads 184 each function as a stop that limits movement ofthe movable plate 150 by engaging the parallel walls 168 and 174. Thesprings 162 are positioned on the bolt shoulders 186 and are compressedbetween the rear wall 106 of the receptacle 102 and the parallel walls168 and 174 of the brackets 164 and 170. The inner surface 188 of themovable plate 150 abuts, or is close to, the axle pins 112. Suitablematerials for the movable plate 150 include, but are not limited to,metals and plastics.

The exemplary dispenser 100 generally, and the exemplary accommodationapparatus 148 in particular, are in an empty state in FIGS. 6-8 and aloaded state in FIGS. 9-11. In the empty state, the springs 162 pressthe parallel walls 168 and 174 of the movable plate 150 against the boltheads 184. Although this aspect of the dispenser 100 may be varied asnecessary from one exemplary dispenser to another, the illustrateddispenser is configured to hold tape rolls that are from about 1 inch(about 2.5 cm) wide to about 0.25 inch (about 0.63 inch) wide, andincluding intermediately sized rolls such as those that are about 0.5inch (about 1.3 cm) wide and 0.75 inch (about 1.9 cm) wide. Put anotherway, the accommodation apparatus 148 will press tape rolls that rangefrom 1 inch wide to 0.25 inch wide against the cover 104 and, in theillustrated implementation, against the protrusions 160 on the innersurface of the cover. The distance between the movable plate 150 and theprotrusions 160 also varies from a maximum of about 1 inch to a minimumof about 0.25 inch in the illustrated embodiment. In those instanceswhere the tape roll width is greater than 0.25 inch, the plate 150 willmove toward rear wall 106 of the receptacle 102, thereby furthercompressing the springs 162. In those instances where the tape rollwidth is 1 inch, the plate 150 will contact protrusions 190 (or the rearwall 106 in those instances where the protrusions are not present). Tothat end, the tape roll 300 illustrated FIGS. 9 and 10 is 1 inch wideand, accordingly, the springs 162 are in their most compressed state inFIG. 11.

FIGS. 12 and 13 show the dispensed portions 306 and 306 a of the tape302 and 302 a from rolls 300 and 300 a. Although the width of the taperoll 300 a is less than that of the tape roll 300, operation of theaccommodation apparatus 148 results in the side edges 308 and 308 a ofthe dispensed portions 306 and 306 a being in the same location adjacentto the cover 104 and the right roller 156 (in the illustratedorientation). The accommodation apparatus 148 also prevents wobbling ofthat rolls that are at least 0.25 inch wide.

Referring to FIGS. 13-13C, the rollers 156 may be formed from arelatively soft material such as, for example, neoprene or othersynthetic rubbers, thermoplastic elastomers and thermoptic polyurethane.As used herein, a “relatively soft” roller is a roller with a hardnessof 60 to 75 Shore A. The outer surface 196 of the relatively softrollers 156, i.e., the surface that engages the tape during dispensing,may be smooth (as shown) or rough. During dispensing, which is discussedbelow with reference to FIG. 14, force F may be applied to the tape 302and underlying surface S by way of the relatively soft rollers 156. Whensufficient force is applied in a direction perpendicular to the surfaceS (FIG. 13B), the rollers 156 will compress slightly in uniform fashion.Alternatively, in those instances where force is applied in a directionthat is not perpendicular to the surface S (FIG. 13C), the rollers 156will compress slightly in non-uniform fashion to accommodate thenon-perpendicular orientation. The roller compression also facilitates atighter turning radius when the tape is being applied in non-linearfashion.

In the illustrated implementation, the relatively soft rollers 156 areformed entirely from the relatively soft material. In otherimplementations, the rollers may include a relatively hard portion witha relatively soft over-mold. The rollers may be formed from rigidmaterials in still other implementations.

As can also be seen in FIGS. 9, 12 and 13, the blade mount 143 isslightly tapered, as compared to the width of the remainder of thereceptacle 102, and has side walls 192. The roller mount 158 is alsotapered as compared to the remainder of the receptacle 102, althoughmuch more so than the blade mount 143, and includes side walls 194. Inparticular, the roller mount 158 tapers down from a width W1 (FIG. 13)that is equal to the width of the intermediate wall 108, e.g., about 1.2inches (about 3.1 cm) in the illustrated implementation) to a width W2,e.g., about 0.3 inch (about 0.8 cm) in the illustrated implementation,that is less than the width W3, e.g., about 1.15 inch (about 2.9 cm) inthe illustrated implementation of the roller assembly 154. As such, theouter two rollers 156 extend laterally beyond the narrow free end 159 ofthe roller mount 158. The tapered blade and roller mounts 143 and 157allows the tape 302 to be dispensed in close proximity to a structurethat the rollers 156 are rolling along during the dispensing process.For example, the tape 302 may be dispensed onto a surface (such as awall or glass surface) that is adjacent to a projection (such as a doorframe or window frame). Additionally, the tape 302 may be dispensed ontoa door frame or a window frame that is adjacent to a projection or aflat surface.

Referring to FIG. 14, the exemplary tape 302 has a backing 308 and alayer of adhesive (e.g., pressure sensitive adhesive) 310 on one side ofthe backing. Exemplary tapes include painter's tape, masking tape,adhesive tape, and packaging tape. The separated portion 312, which isthe portion of the tape 302 that is no longer adhered to (but isconnected to) the remainder of the roll 300, comes off the roll 300 andpasses through the tape outlet 140. The rollers 156 engage the backing308 and may be used to press the adhesive side of the tape 302 against asurface S. The dispenser 100 may be moved in direction D while the forceF is maintained, which causes the tape 302 to be pulled out of thedispenser as the core 304 rotates on the pins 112 and about the axis A(FIG. 10). One of the user's thumbs may also be used to press the tape302 against the surface S while following the dispenser 100 along thesurface in the direction D. In other instances (e.g., in other dispenserand surface orientations), the rollers 156 will not engage the backing308 of the tape 302 and the user (e.g., with a finger) will guide thetape and press the tape against the surface as the dispenser is moved.It should also be noted here that, as is illustrated in FIG. 14, therespective locations of the tape outlet 140, cutting element 142 androllers 156 results in the separated portion 312 of the tape 302 passingbetween the cutting element and the rollers after it passes through thetape outlet.

The dispensed portion 306 may be separated from the remainder of theroll 300 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 15. The user may, forexample, apply a force F to the roll 300 with a finger by way of themanual resistance aperture 144 (FIG. 9) to prevent rotation of the roll,and may also rotate the dispenser 100 from the orientation illustratedin FIG. 14 to the orientation illustrated in FIG. 15 to bring thecutting element 142 into contact with the dispensed portion 306. Thelocation of the separated portion 312 relative to the cutting element142 and the rollers 156 facilitates an easy transition fromdispensing/application to cutting. Force may be applied to the dispensedportion 306 to sever the dispensed portion from the separated portion312, which may then be stored on the tape holder 152. For example, aholding force H may be applied to the tape 302 with one hand (e.g., bypinching the tape between the thumb and index finger) while the otherhand rotates the dispenser to bring the cutting element 142 into contactwith the tape.

As best seen in FIGS. 16 and 17, the exemplary tape holder 152 includesa panel 200 and a projection 202. The exemplary panel 200 has top andbottom edges 204 and 206 (in the illustrated orientation), lateral edges208 and 210, and a forward facing surface 212. The exemplary projection202 consists of a generally U-shaped wall 214, with an edge 216, whichextends from the forward facing surface 212. The respective shapes,sizes and relative positions of the panel 200 and projection 202 createlateral gaps 216 between the projection 202 and the panel lateral edges208 and 210 as well as lower gap 218 between the projection and thebottom edge 206.

The panel 200 extends in a direction (or angle) that is transverse (andin some instances perpendicular) to the direction E that the tape exitsthe outlet. The direction (or angle) may differ in otherimplementations.

After the dispensed portion 306 is severed from separated portion 312,the separated portion may be adhered to the tape holder 152 with theadhesive 310 (FIG. 17). The separated portion 312 may, for example,adhere to the top edge 204 of the panel 200 and to the edge 216 of theprojection 202 (as shown in solid lines) or only to the top edge 204 ofthe panel 200 (as shown in dashed lines). In either case, the gaps 216and 218 provide space for the user's fingers, thereby facilitatingdisengagement of the separated portion 312 from the tape holder 152 atthe time of the next dispensing. This aspect of the especially useful inthose instances where the free end 314 of the separated portion 312 (andtape 302) is adhered to the projection 202.

Although the present inventions have been described in terms of thepreferred embodiments above, numerous modifications and/or additions tothe above-described preferred embodiments would be readily apparent toone skilled in the art. By way of example, but not limitation, thehinges may be omitted and separable cover may be provided that can beattached and detached as necessary. Alternatively, single-use disposableembodiments, where the cover is permanently attached to the receptacle,may be provided. The present inventions also include systems thatcombine any of the dispensers described above and/or claimed below witha roll of tape. It is intended that the scope of the present inventionsextends to all such modifications and/or additions.

I claim:
 1. A dispenser for use with a tape roll, the dispensercomprising: a receptacle and a cover together defining a tape rollstorage volume in which the tape roll rotates about an axis of rotation;and an accommodation apparatus located within the tape roll storagevolume and configured to bias the tape roll in an axial directiontowards one of the receptacle and the cover.
 2. A dispenser as claimedin claim 1, wherein the accommodation apparatus is configured to biasthe tape roll toward the cover.
 3. A dispenser as claimed in claim 2,wherein the accommodation apparatus includes a movable plate and atleast one biasing element.
 4. A dispenser as claimed in claim 3, furthercomprising: the at least one biasing element comprises a plurality ofsprings.
 5. A dispenser as claimed in claim 3, wherein the receptacleincludes a plurality of axle pins configured to rotatably mount the taperoll; and the movable plate includes an inner surface that is adjacentto the pins.
 6. A dispenser as claimed in claim 5, wherein the axle pinsinclude apertures; and the cover includes a plurality of latches thatengage the axle pins by way of the apertures.
 7. A dispenser as claimedin claim 3, wherein the receptacle includes a wall that is parallel tothe cover; and the at least one biasing element is compressed as themovable plate moves away from the cover.
 8. A dispenser as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the receptacle includes a wall with a manual resistanceaperture that is sized and shaped such that a human finger can passthrough the wall and into the storage volume.
 9. A dispenser for usewith a tape roll, the dispenser comprising: a front wall, a rear walland an intermediate wall between the front and rear walls, the front,rear and intermediate walls together enclosing a tape roll storagevolume; a tape outlet between the front and rear walls; a roller mountadjacent to the tape outlet; and at least one relatively soft rollermounted on the roller mount.
 10. A dispenser as claimed in claim 9,wherein the at least one relatively soft roller comprises a plurality ofrelatively soft rollers.
 11. A dispenser as claimed in claim 9, whereinthe at least one relatively soft roller is carried by an axle that isrotatably mounted to the roller mount.
 12. A dispenser as claimed inclaim 9, wherein the at least one relatively soft roller is formed frommaterial having a hardness of 60 to 75 Shore A.
 13. A dispenser asclaimed in claim 9, wherein the intermediate wall defines anintermediate wall width; and the roller mount comprises a tapered rollermount that tapers from a first end adjacent to the roll storage volumeto a second end on which the at least one roller is mounted and that hasa width that is less than the intermediate wall width.
 14. A dispenseras claimed in claim 13, wherein the at least one relatively soft rollercomprises a plurality of relatively soft rollers; and at least tworelatively soft rollers extend laterally beyond the second end of theroller mount.
 15. A dispenser as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:a cutting element located adjacent to the tape outlet; and wherein thetape outlet is located between the cutting element and the at least onerelatively soft roller.
 16. A dispenser for use with a tape roll, thedispenser comprising: a front wall, a rear wall and an intermediate walllocated between the front wall and the rear wall and defining a width,the front, rear and intermediate walls together enclosing a tape rollstorage volume; a tape outlet between the front and rear walls; acutting element adjacent to the tape outlet; and a tape holder locatedadjacent to the tape outlet and between the tape outlet and the cuttingelement.
 17. A dispenser as claimed in claim 16, wherein tape exitsthrough the tape outlet in a dispensing direction; and the tape holderincludes a panel that is oriented transverse to the dispensingdirection.
 18. A dispenser as claimed in claim 17, wherein the tapeholder includes a projection that extends from the panel in thedispensing direction.
 19. A dispenser as claimed in claim 18, whereinthe panel defines lateral edges; the panel and the projection definerespective sizes and shapes; and the respective shapes, sizes andrelative positions of the panel and the projection create lateral gapsbetween the projection and the panel lateral edges.
 20. A dispenser asclaimed in claim 19, wherein the panel defines a bottom edge; and therespective shapes, sizes and relative positions of the panel and theprojection create a lower gap between the projection and the bottomedge.
 21. A dispenser as claimed in claim 16, wherein the tape holderincludes a panel and a projection that extends from the panel; the paneldefines lateral edges; the panel and the projection define respectivesizes and shapes; and the respective shapes, sizes and relativepositions of the panel and the projection create lateral gaps betweenthe projection and the panel lateral edges.
 22. A dispenser as claimedin claim 21, wherein the panel defines a bottom edge; and the respectiveshapes, sizes and relative positions of the panel and the projectioncreate a lower gap between the projection and the bottom edge.